I’m all about getting started.
And you’ll know by now that’s because I believe it is a major key to success, particularly when it comes to blogging, but obviously it doesn’t end there. Once you’re started, it’s all about the big C. Consistency. It’s the number one thing you need to keep in mind if you want to build a community and audience. However, for many of us consistency is elusive (been there!). On my recent post about balancing your day job and your passion project, one of the big things you guys said in the comments was that above all else your blog or creative pursuit was hard to maintain, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s a hard slog of planning, doing and then pushing yourself when you don’t have the energy, particular if you’re balancing other projects at the same time.  But don’t be put off, because whilst consistency is essential, it’s also manageable, with a few tips and tricks. Read on for a few thoughts on being more consistent, and turning that consistency into success (however you want to measure it).
Set Goals
What does consistency mean? At the end of the day it’s a matter of finding a balance between what you want to do, what you can do well and what your audience will accept. For example, many believe that you’re best updating everyday, if you want to get people checking it daily. BUT you’d be crazy to set that as your goal if it’s likely to a) make you crazy and b) have you posting content that isn’t well executed. Doing three, or even one, really good post per week might be the answer. The important thing is that once you’ve set that goal you stick to it, as it’s important to meet the expectations of your audience (most of the time at least).
Create a planÂ
The key to being more consistent? Making a content plan in advance and sticking to it. And focusing on planning months ahead with your projects, shoots, proposals and content, rather than for just what’s coming up in the next few days. Not only will you have greater time to prepare and therefore hopefully better outputs, you’ll also see a better picture of what needs to be done with limited time. Head here to read more about how we plan the content for this blog.
Maximise Content Opportunities
My secret to more posts in less time? Looking at everything you do as an opportunity to create content for your blog/social. It works on a casual level – Saturday at Ikea with your children may seem like an awful day that gets in the way of your blogging goals – but could you create some content while you’re there? Take a few snaps and write a guide to, say, different fabrics (or whatever). It also works on a more professional level too – if I’m shooting with the team we will always make a list of 10 posts we want to shoot at once. We also look at content from different angles to maximise posts – a post about making a dress could be split up into how to pick fabric, how to work out the best fit and how to sew a seam. More is more in terms of content, and less is more in terms of time.
Block out Time
Ok so you don’t have much time, but in the time you do have you should focus on blocking it out completely to focus on your blog. Whether it’s an hour on a Tuesday night or a full Sunday, it’s good to plan ahead at the beginning of the week and block out the time in advance. That way you can fully dedicate yourself to it then and not put pressure on yourself at other times. I like to block out Sundays and two days at the beginning of the week to do all my blogging, and then I can focus on other projects and shooting for the rest.
Group Tasks
The biggest threat to consistency is jumping too and fro on different things – that hamster in a wheel vibe – where you spend a whole day on 3094 tasks but at the end have very little to show for it. You’ll find with blogging that there’s lots of different tasks, but many of them follow the same routine around shooting, editing, writing and linking. To save time I’ve learnt to group similar tasks together rather than doing them all for a single post at a time. As I mentioned we might shoot two weeks of posts in a week, or edit a month’s worth of photos in a day and write the copy for a bunch of posts at the same time. This is something that’s helped me to get into the mindset of a certain task and be quicker (and better) at it.
Schedule Your Social
These days it’s easy to be prolific with your social posts, particularly on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook where regular posts and updates are expected. Scheduling will change your life, allowing you to post content when your readers are online, even when you’re not! And it also allows you to develop a huge amount of content in one sitting rather than in a piecemeal fashion. I use co-schedule to handle a lot of my updates, as it allows you to create social updates for each blog post directly from wordpress.
And finally….Â
Creating a successful blog won’t happen overnight, but it does allow you to express yourself, build your creativity andddddd potentially get paid to do it, so it’s worth creating a plan (that works for you) and dedicating time so you can always be consistent – an audience will come in time too! Also remember not to be too hard on yourself, you’re doing the best you can! đ
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These tips are so helpful, especially the one with the content opportunities! I often do this when I cook or bake, I just make a post out of it! I’m still having a problem with planning ahead, because sometimes I don’t have the money for buying materials for ten different projects, but maybe I’ll try it with planning two weeks ahead…Thank you for sharing this!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
Great to hear we’re on the same page Michelle! Two weeks ahead works well. x
Happy to have come accross this đ Thank you for your blogging tips, Geneva! They do help a lot <3
http://poshpossibilities.blogspot.com
Thanks Lauren, I’m glad you like. đ
Your post is really good, when working on different projects at the same time, it helps take them to finish!
I follow you since 2013 and I love your style and your tips, you’re one of the best bloggers out there!
Kisses xx
http://www.missunexpected.com
These tips are really helpful, I feel that sometimes I want to post just to get content up, however once I write them I realise the lack of quality- thats why its always quality over quantity for me! x
http://flareaforte.blogspot.co.uk
Oh I couldn’t agree more. I’m all about quality over quantity too. Although, one interesting finding (of many) that I learnt from my reader survey was that people want to see regular content, even if it’s just a quick update. Obviously it has to fit in with your overall voice and aesthetic direction but it was useful to learn this. xx
I can pretty much organise everything about my blogging process, but photos… Just finding time and strength to take them is slowly pushing me to the edge of frustration.
Thanks so much for the tips! I always find it hard to keep on top of blogging, especially when life gets in the way. I’ve never thought about maximising content opportunities either, definitely something to keep in mind!
Yes 1 million times! These tips were so helpful. I think I need to start planning my posts in advance, and probably bumping up the amount of content. I am all about quality over quantity, though. XO
My blog: http://www.bymybedside.com
GO CHECK IT OUT! Otherwise, I’ll find your closet and replace all your shoes with those ugly white sneaker things. Your call, my friend.
I’ve only started blogging last year and I’ve done these tips and now I’m reaping the benefits!
– Seyra x
http://www.pavementsarerunways.com/
GREAT tips! I’ve been blogging for a little less than a year now and I’m definitely still trying my best to stay consistent. It’s harder than I thought!
These are really great tips that will be helpful as a get back into blogging again. Such a timely post to read, thanks for putting this all together.
Eternally,
Rosie
Great post! Consistency is key and I am finally starting to understand that
http://www.thewanderingbrunette.com/
These tips are so on point. I definitely need to do a better job of planning ahead of time. Thanks for compiling this list đ
Fariha | blog.farihawajid.com
Well said! Being more consistent and efficient is definitely something I’m working on atm.
http://www.chelseycrafts.com
Thank you so much for sharing these great blogging tips <3 đ One of my most difficult struggles is time management, and your post really gave me some better ideas on how I can better manage my time, particularly about grouping tasks together to get in the mindset of things. A really good idea indeed!
XO, Elizabeth
http://clothestoyouuu.com/
great post and love hearing your tips, I always find them really interesting & not least helpful. I write a lot of blogging and career advice tips so it’s always nice to hear other peoples opinions, ideas and tips!
Mel x
mediamarmalade.com
This post is really really helpful! There are so many tips posts out there, but this really has essence!
I am in the beginning phase of my blog (3 months old) and I really push myself hard – nevertheless I hope these tips will help me work more efficient, and as you said, save some time while producing more content.
Your blog is amazing and a huge inspiration! xx Ana // http://www.disasterdiary.de
Loved reading this post! Thanks for sharing the helpful blogging tips!
http://livingblissfullybalance.weebly.com/
I absolutely adore these posts you’re doing about blogging, because I’m just starting out myself in this world, and flailing about spectactularly! I don’t know if it would be PC to ask, but I was wondering whether you might be able to one day discuss how to monetise a blog (apart from displaying advertising)? I realise that people who enter this world should do so without the sole intention to make money out of their blog, but for those of us who are looking well forward into the future (we’re talking years), then I think it would be super helpful to be able to know where to look next and who to contact in terms of collaborating with businesses and companies, hopefully becoming a bit of an ambassador like you are with places like Grana, Witchery, Clinique etc.
Excellent guide! I’ll be taking many (read: all!!) of these into mind. Thanks!
Yes! The planning a schedule, or content calendar is key for sure! Helps me relax and get on task.
xx Jenelle
http://www.inspiringwit.com
These are so helpful! I love that you state it won’t happen overnight. This is something I struggle with myself & often scrutinise myself over!
Katie // Words by Katie
These are great tips!!
http://www.bluelabelsboutique.com
http://www.fashionnotfear.wordpress.com
These trips are so great, especially maximizing your content. I am still getting used to taking my camera with me everywhere and writing about some of the things I do. But I have started pre planning more around my blog more so I have fresh content =o) Thanks for sharing!
http://dreamofadventures.blogspot.com/
I just randomly found your blog and just wanted to say that I’m OBSESSED. I think I just spent an entire hour scrolling through content.
And these shelfies are so stinking cute!
Xx Taylor
http://lightscameracatwalk.com
The maximise your content opportunity is a great tip. I have recently been doing that.. & sometime people think I’m weird.. loll like what is she doing? These are great tips overall.
http://www.menelliavalcent.com
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I feel like there is a lot of articles written on this subject but yours above all the others I’ve read – and I’ve read a lot! – is really helpful. I am so hard on myself if I procrastinate or fall behind and I feel like I’m struggling to keep up with imaginary standard. Its good to know I’m not the only one and with careful planning (and lots of passion) I can see some success and have a blog that I’m proud of and maybe it’ll gain some traction in the (hopefully!) future. Thanks, Geneva!
ADORE this!
Your blogging 101 posts have been so helpful to me! I love reading your blog, it is so inspiring! I recently started my own blog: http://fashionpsychic.com/
So helpful, thanks for sharing !!
Carolina đ
https://carolinascornerblog.wordpress.com
I recently started my own blog and this post is so helpful!! Love your blog!!
https://myinspirationfolder.blogspot.com.es/
Geneva this is such a great post! One of the hardest parts I’ve found of full-time blogging is begin consistent – even when you know you really really should – it can be hard to balance everything (shooting, pitching, emails, social etc).
These tips are so succinctly actionable – they are really helpful!
So thank you! And Happy 2017!
Love, Monica x
These are such helpful tips! Not going to lie, sometimes it can feel a bit stressful and overwhelming when you’re juggling several different things and a blog. I’ve definitely been struggling with consistency.
platosclosetpreferred.com
Great blog! Thank you so much for your tips, all very helpful. It is much more difficult than it seems to maintain your own blog, and definitely there are some hard-times..
xoxo,
Gabrielle
Your tips are amazing! Being consistent and dedicated is the key to a blogs success. Thanks so much!
xoxo,
http://www.bemissity.com
This post is very helpful. Consistency is one of the biggest challenges I’m facing right now. Particularly helpful is the tip on grouping tasks. I find it hard to share my time between content creation and the technical stuff and I usually get swept up in the technical (we all know WordPress is a dark hole). I’m going to take your advice and use my time better. Thank you đ
http://www.cleverishmagazine.com/